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Edward Liddle's International Profiles
Andrew Rowland White
  • Born 3 July 1980 Newtownards, Co Down
  • Educated Regent House School, Newtownards; University of Ulster
  • Occupation Professional Cricketer, Schoolteacher
  • Debut 21 July 2000 v Netherlands at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow
  • Cap Number 631
  • Style Right hand batsman, right arm off break bowler
  • Teams North Down, UPE International Cricket Academy, South Africa Instonians Northamptonshire pCA Masters XI

Andrew White, tall and dark haired is a batting all-rounder of high quality. A fine stroke maker, he is usually seen in the upper order, having often opened successfully for club and country, but has been subject to being moved around the order when playing for Ireland. His off spin, not always made full use of, has brought him 120 International wickets,and three Man of The Match awards at this level. A member of a talented sporting family, his brother Richard and cousins all being capable cricketers, he was an outstanding all round games' player at Regent House and also shone in Colts' and Youth sides for North Down. By 1999 he was an established member of the Comber side's XI as it carried off its first Senior League title for 63 years - a hiatus it has rather made up for since!

His abilities saw Andrew gain a place in the Ireland U 19 side for the European Championships, held in Northern Ireland, that year. He celebrated in front of home supporters making an undefeated 36 in a 7 wickets win over The Netherlands at The Green. He was a member of the Irish side in the U19 World Cup early the following year, having a good all round performance in a D/L tie with Namibia, who - batting first - reached 186-7 off 48 overs, with Andrew taking 3-31. He then topscored with 28 adding 61 for the 3rd wicket with Dom Joyce in a highly significant partnership. He was also top scorer as Ireland inflicted a crushing defeat on The Americas, dominating a total of 183 all out with 76 made from 103 balls with 7 fours. He had come in when Ireland were wavering at 11-2 and played a controlled and valuable innings. He then bowled tightly taking 0-13 in 8 overs to help Ireland to an emphatic win by 85 runs.

Scotland v Ireland, 2006
Back with North Down, having made his Irish debut in 2000, he was the club's outstanding all-rounder in 2002 and 2003, winning both the batting and bowling cups in each year. Thus in the former season he scored 775 runs at 38.25 and took 33 wickets at 37.80, with a best bowling of 4-10 in the League against Cliftonville who were dismissed for 44. His highest score 114* came in the 3rd Round of the Cup against Waringstown, a magnificent innings - though he was badly missed on 55 - which enabled the Comber side to win by 7 wickets. It was Andrew's second cup hundred; he had made 116 in the Quarter Final against Bangor the previous season.

The following year has been described by Clarence Hiles as "A White Summer", Andrew aggregating 1020 runs and dominating the Cup. Thus in the Second Round against Dunmurry he was Man of the Match as his 148 set up a 113 runs victory. The Quarter Final saw North Down chasing a Cliftonville total of 170-7. They won by 9 wickets with Andrew 72* and again Man of The Match. He won the award again in the Semi Final with Belfast Harlequins contributing 81* as he and Jo Montgomery "the most prolific opening partnership in NCU Cricket" (Hiles) raced to a 10 wickets victory. The Final against Waringstown at Stormont saw him once more Man of The Match as he made 80 and 54 besides returning match analysis of 4-59 sealing a 94 runs victory.

In the close season, however, he moved to Instonians for whom he has also been very successful, though his seasons with Northamptonshire and increasing Irish calls, have restricted his availability However, his first season, saw a big hundred in the League against Waringstown as "The Old Boys" piled up a massive 314-5 with Andrew on 176* then bowled the Villagers out for 87 (White 3-21). He has also had some memorable matches for the Club in the Irish Senior Cup. Thus in 2004 he made 76 against Rush as Instonians reached 251-9 then took 3-41 to bring his side a 1 run victory. In the 3rd round North County provided formidable opposition but he raced to a superb undefeated 177 before taking 2-29 to seal victory by11 runs and collect yet another award. The Quarter Final saw defeat at the hands of Limavady but not before Andrew had stroked his way to a fine 92. He has continued to enjoy himself in this competition. In the 2011 season, for example, his 70 off 73 balls with 11 fours ensured victory over a powerful Railway Union side, the match being very much in balance until he took control.

Ireland v Worcestershire, 2009

In 2012 he averaged 54.88 in NCU Senior Cricket with a highest score of 80 made against Lisburn in a Premier League match at Shaw's Bridge won by 119 runs. His best all round match came in his final match of the season against Ballymena at home. His 3-19 helped see the visitors bowled out for 114, then, opening the batting with James Shannon, he made 51 before being 5th out when victory was almost achieved. He had another vital innings in the Challenge Cup Final against North Down at their fortress of The Green. The hosts were dismissed for a below par 184, but then rocked the visitors with two quick wickets. However Andrew then joined Shannon in an unbroken stand of 161 to see the Cup come to the Shaws' Bridge trophy cabinet. Andrew finished on 57, from 77 balls with 7 fours, Shannon was one short of his hundred.

Interprovincial cricket was on the wane as Andrew became prominent but we may notice two match winning performances. For the NCU against North West at Limavady in 2003 he took the lead in restricting the hosts to 184 with a tight and challenging display of off spin which left him with figures of 7-2-17-4. He then failed with the bat but saw his side win by 7 wickets. One year later the teams faced one another at Wallace Park, Andrew taking 2-35 as the visitors totalled 196. He then batted brilliantly to make 123*, adding an unbroken 140 for the 3rd wicket with Mark Hutchinson to win the match by 8 wickets.

Andrew had an extended trial with Northamptonshire between 2004 and 2006, followers of the game being rather confused as there were two other players named White in the same situation. It must be admitted that he met with little success on his few appearances with the full County side but he did have some outstanding performances for the Second XI, including three centuries. The first of these came at the end of the 2004 season and helped set up a 10 wickets win over Glamorgan, who had totalled 351-5 in their first innings. Northants replied with 414 all out. Coming in at 7 Andrew made 103* from 126 balls with 13 fours. He had a century stand for the 6th wicket with Ricky Wessels and, rather more unusually, one of 44 for the 8th with Monty Panesar, who then took 6-59 to leave his batsmen a simple task.

Ireland v Afghanistan, 2010

The following season he made 102 in the second innings of a high scoring draw against Durham, his knock lasting 172 balls and including 16 fours before he was dismissed by Alagmir Sheriyar, a left arm paceman of many counties, but - apart from one season - little success. Later that season, Andrew found himself playing at Radlett, against an MCC Young Cricketers XI that included William Porterfield, Kevin O'Brien and Gary Wilson. They all made runs but not as many as Andrew who made 73 in the first innings from 84 balls with 11 fours before being caught off Will Gidman, now with Gloucestershire. In the second, with little for the County to do but play for a draw, Andrew made a massive 192 off 251 balls with 26 fours. What his Irish team-mates made of that is not recorded.

In the course of gaining his 211 caps for Ireland Andrew has scored 4157 runs at 28.09 with 6 hundreds and 16 fifties besides taking 120 wickets at 28.09. His first century came in a European Championship match with Denmark in Glasgow in 2000, his first season in the side It was a crucial innings as the next highest score was Alan Rutherford's 28. Opening the innings Andrew batted for 174 minutes and faced 157 balls, hitting 13 of them for 4. He later took 2-26, disposing of the last man with a juggling caught and bowled. He was deservedly Man of the Match. Four years elapsed before his next century, appropriately on his first class debut in an Intercontinental Cup Match against the Netherlands at Deventer. The hosts were put in in helpful seam bowling conditions and were dismissed for 200. As Roy Morgan wrote "The second day belonged to Andrew White." Batting at 4 he reached his century off 145 balls with 1 six and 14 fours. He eventually reached 152* with 17 fours and 3 sixes. The Dutch were then dismissed for 141, Andrew adding yet another award to his collection. Four years later he hit a memorable 109* in a rain ruined draw with Canada at Malahide. He faced 144 balls and hit 14 fours adding 154 for 5th wicket with Kevin O'Brien, both men disrupting the field with well taken quick singles.

Two more tons followed in 2010. Against the Netherlands at Castle Avenue, he came in at 98-3 after the visitors had been dismissed for 188. The loss of Kevin O'Brien and Wilson reduced Ireland to 153-5 but then Andrew and John Mooney batted brilliantly to add 221 for the 6th, the second highest partnership for this wicket in the competition, falling 13 runs short of the record established by Andre Botha and Alex Cusack against Scotland in 2007. Mooney finished on 107, Andrew on 144 from 220 balls with 20 fours and 1 six. Ireland went on to win by an innings and 84 runs. Five weeks later in the heat of Harare during Ireland's controversial visit to Zimbabwe he made 109 from 176 balls with 11 fours which ensured that Ireland were not going to lose a high scoring match. His sixth hundred came against Namibia at Stormont last (2011) season. The visitors made 244 (Andrew 1-0) but had Ireland reeling on 31-4. However Andrew found, not for the first time staunch partners in Kevin O'Brien (30) and John Mooney (44) and the crisis passed. Ireland's 298 was built around Andrew's excellent 123* which came off 213 balls with 13 fours. The visitors offered less resistance in their second innings and Andrew was 22* as Ireland recorded a 5 wickets victory.

Ireland v Uganda, 2012

As stated above his bowling has also brought him three Man of the Match awards for Ireland. Thus he was the key figure in Ireland's famous Cheltenham and Gloucester win over Surrey in 2004. His figures of 10-0-43-3 disrupted the county's middle order while his 20* in the middle order for Ireland ensured that history was made. Against Kenya at Windhoek in 2005 he and Kyle McCallan shared the award after bowling the opposition out for 156 in their second innings, leaving Ireland to get 245 and win by 6 wickets, Andrew also making an undefeated 25 in the run chase. They literally shared the award as the ICC had provided only one commemorative plaque. He was also an award winner in the World Cup Qualifier against Uganda at Krugersdorp in April 2009. His figures of 10-3-22-4 saw the opposition bowled out for 155 and enabled Ireland to cruise to a 6 wickets victory.

2012 was not the happiest of Andrew's seasons for Ireland as his three successive ducks against South Africa indicate. However he showed fine form in the rain ruined drawn Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan at Rathmines. Coming in at 132-3 with Ireland chasing runs after bowling the visitors lout for 84 when play finally began on the third afternoon, he put on 119 for the third wicket with Gary Wilson. When the wicket keeper was out with the score on 251 the declaration came, Andrew being undefeated with 62 with 11 fours.

Ireland v Afganistan, 2012

The 2007 World Cup saw Andrew produce an excellent book of photographs, helping those wonderful moments to remain in the memory. He has also had a most successful teaching career now being a member of Kyle McCallan's PE Department at Grosvenor Grammar School, Belfast. Andrew Rowland White has already given much too Irish cricket at both domestic and International level. All followers of the game will want him to continue for many years to come.

Signing for Northamptonshire 2005
World Twenty20 Qualifier 2008: Ireland v Bermuda
2013 Intercontinental Cup, UAE v Ireland